Senate may see rumpus over Shehbaz’s arrest

ISLAMABAD - Upper House of the Parliament would likely see a heated debate and even rumpus over the arrest of Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif when it will meet in the afternoon today(Monday) after a two days break.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Parliamentary party will hold a meeting and then the heads of parliamentary parties in the Senate will be meeting on the request of Leader of Opposition in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq to devise a strategy to raise the issue of what he termed a worst case of political victimisation.

The PML-N had already requisitioned the National Assembly session and PML-N central leaders including Raja Zafarul Haq, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and others met Speaker National Assembly at his residence on Saturday and given him the requisition with over 90 MNAs signatures.

Though under the rules, the Speaker is bound to call the session of the National Assembly within 14 days of filing of requisition but most likely the session of lower house of the Parliament would be called during the current week starting from today (Monday) as the opposition parties MPs had requested for early calling of the session.

The main opposition parties in the Parliament, Pakistan People’s Party and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal had extended full support to the move to take up the issue of Leader of Opposition’s arrest in the Parliament and in this connection a moot of joint opposition parties would likely be convened in a next couple of days.

As the opposition parties in Upper House of the Parliament are in majority they could make it difficult for the government to run the affairs of the house smoothly and would grill the government for what they termed the worst sort of political victimisation and pre-poll rigging in the by-elections.

PML-N Senator Dr Asif Kirmani said that before the July 25 general elections they had arrested party Quaid Nawaz Sharif to influence the elections and once again they were out to steal the upcoming by-elections from the party.

He made it clear that this time the party activists and voters would not let them play with the public mandate and they would keep a vigilant eye on the whole elections process so that the mandate of people could not be stolen.

Sources in the Parliament said that the arrest of PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif had united the opposition parties and from the platform of united opposition they would turn the table on the ruling PTI which was fully exposed in just two months in power and people of Pakistan had seen their incompetence and would definitely not vote for them in by-polls.

Staff Reporter from Swabi adds: PML-N leaders staged a protest demonstration at Karnal Sher Khan Chowk against the arrest of their leader by National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

They gathered at PML-N district office and marched towards Karnal Sher Khan Chowk where their leaders addressed them. They were holding placards inscribed with different anti-government slogans and were chanting slogans against the government.

They criticised the PTI-led government for harassing and arresting their central president Shehbaz Sharif before the upcoming by-election, aiming to pave way for the ruling party candidates.

They said that PML-N has been passing through a very difficult time and the ruling party had used numerous tactics. District president Shiraz Khan and district general secretary Dildar Khan said that the arrest of Shehbaz was a highly condemnable act.

Meanwhile, an aged watchman in Ismaila has been killed by unidentified assailants during his duty, said police.

Afsar Ali, 61, was the sole bread earner and the salary which he received was the only source of livelihood.

Registering an FIR in Kalu Khan police station, wife of the deceased said that they have no enmity with anyone and the reason behind killing of her husband was not known. Police have registered an FIR and started investigation.

Meanwhile, MPA Rangiaz Khan’s father who passed away on Sunday was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard in Baja village. His funeral was attended by politicians, officials of the district administration and local people.